It's Not What She Says, It's How She Says It: The Influence of Language Complexity and Cognitive Load on the Persuasiveness of Expert Testimony

Abstract

Mock jurors rely on a variety of heuristics and stereotypes about expert witnesses when evaluating their testimony. Research indicates that these extra-legal cues have their greatest impact when expert testimony is complex and so processed in a less effortful manner. Previous work suggests that language complexity may also be related to stereotypes about expert gender. This research tested the hypothesis that complex language is seen as stereotypically associated with male experts, whereas simple language is associated with female experts, and that such expectations about the gender orientation of the expert's language influence mock jurors' judgments such that they would be more persuaded when an expert used language that matched his/her gender. Results provided some support for predictions, primarily when the expert was female.

Key words:

• expert testimony
• gender
• jury decision-making
• language complexity
• stereotypes

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Jane Masters for her assistance with data collection. This research was supported by Australian Research Council grant DP0556473.